‘We’ll hold dialogue, but with whom?’

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday said Awami League would like to hold dialogue to uphold democracy but raised questions regarding who they would hold it with.

“We will do whatever is needed to preserve democracy. If dialogue is needed, we will do that, but with whom will we hold the dialogue?” he told journalists at the foreign ministry yesterday.

When asked for comments on the letter sent by the US government to the three political parties — Awami League, BNP, and Jatiya Party — calling upon them to hold dialogue without any preconditions amid a deadlock created over the polls-time government, he said AL doesn’t want anything that harms the democratic process.

“Bangladesh is a free country, and anyone can express their opinion. If there is a good suggestion from other countries, we take it seriously if we think it is good for us,” he said.

Citing the example of amending the Digital Security Act, he said some foreign countries spoke about its applications, and the government then amended certain provisions of the act.

“We are pragmatic. If the suggestions are better, we will value them. However, not all are possible. For example, some suggested that the RMG workers’ wage be fixed at Tk 25,000. That’s not possible because it lacks feasibility,” he added.

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